Is a civil union recognized in public sector benefits?

In Oklahoma, civil unions are not recognized at a public sector level and, therefore, not eligible for public sector benefits. Civil unions are a form of legal partnership between two individual members of the same sex and are overseen by the state government. In some states, civil unions are treated the same as marriages, but this is not the case in Oklahoma. At the federal level, civil unions are still not recognized. The Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 made it so same-sex marriages could be legally recognized in all 50 states, but the ruling does not apply to civil unions or any other domestic partnerships. This means that same-sex couples who are in a civil union are unable to access federal marital benefits such as Social Security survivor benefits, tax breaks, and health care benefits. In Oklahoma, public sector employers are not mandated to recognize civil unions and, therefore, civil unions are not eligible for public sector benefits. In order for same-sex couples to be eligible for these benefits, they must be legally married. There are, however, some private sector employers in Oklahoma who do recognize civil unions for employees and have begun to offer benefits, such as health insurance, to those in civil unions.

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Is a civil union recognized in public sector benefits?

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